Each year the film industry loses millions of dollars in revenue due to the illegal copying and reselling of movies. Movie pirates illegally copy movies by capturing the projected image with a video-recording device, such as a camcorder. Camcorders can be used in a dark movie theater to illegally record both the projected image and the corresponding audio. The illegal copy of the image, recorded on videotape, can be repeatedly recopied and sold to the public. Movie pirates often package these illegal copies in a manner to cause a purchaser to believe that a legitimate copy of the movie has been purchased.
In response to widespread cinema piracy, there have been various methods attempted to distort the projected image such that an illegal copy is unpleasant to view. No acceptable methods exist, however, for adding distortion without unacceptably degrading the projected image as it plays to the legitimate viewers. In addition, no methods have been suggested for altering the video source material in such a way that it is unpleasant to view in its raw form. There is a need, therefore, for a system and method for distorting an illegally recorded image, while still maintaining a high quality image for the legitimate viewing audience.